DR MOHAN C THOMAS · @DrMohanCThomas
17th Sep 2014 from TwitLonger
Wanted – Men of God!
Isaiah 6:8 (King James Version)
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ’Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then said I, ’Here am I; send me.’”
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, defines the word “man” as: “One possessing in high degree the qualities distinctive of manhood” – that is to say, ’manliness,’” A “real” man is a male human being who is mature, strong, and masterful! This morning, my brothers and sisters, the Lord would have us look at “Men of God” – men who are mature in the Word of Almighty God; men who are strong in the power of Almighty God; and, men who are masterful in the work of Almighty God! Almighty God, as the Marine Corps slogan puts it, is looking “For a few good men!”
Almighty God wants men who can pray like the prophet Elijah! In 1 Kings 18:36-38 (NLT), we read: “At the customary time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, ’O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. (vs. 37) O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself! (vs. 38) Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from Heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the ditch.”
In James 5:17-18 (NLT), the Disciple/Apostle James, the half-brother of Jesus, the Christ, tells us: “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! (vs. 18) Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green and the crops began to grown again.”
Someone named Robert Hugh Morris, once said, “[Almighty] God brings no man [or, woman] into the conflicts of life to desert him [or, her]. Every man [or, woman] has a Friend in Heaven whose resources are unlimited; and on Him he [or, she] may call at any hour and find sympathy and assistance.”
Almighty God wants men who can endure persecution like the “Weeping Prophet” Jeremiah! In Jeremiah 20:1-2 (NLT), we read: “Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of the Lord, heard what Jeremiah was saying. (vs. 2) So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Lord’s Temple.”
In Jeremiah 15:15 (NLT), we read: “Then I said, ’Lord you know I am suffering for your sake. Punish my persecutors! Don’t let them kill me! Be merciful to me and give them what they deserve.”
In Jeremiah 38:6-13 (NLT), we read: “So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom and Jeremiah sank down into it. (vs. 7) But Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an important palace official, heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate, (vs. 8) so Ebed-melech rushed from the palace to speak with him. (vs. 9) ’My lord
the king,’ he said, ’these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone!’ (vs. 10) So the king told Ebed-melech, ’Take along thirty of my men, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies! (vs. 11) So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to a room in the palace beneath the treasury, where he found some old rags and discarded clothing. He carried these to the cistern and lowered them to Jeremiah on a rope. (vs. 12) Ebed-melech called down to Jeremiah, ’put these rags under your armpits to protect you from the ropes.’ Then when Jeremiah was ready (vs. 13) they pulled him out. So Jeremiah was returned to the courtyard of the guard – the palace prison – where he remained.”
It is interesting to note that Ebed-melech, in rescuing Jeremiah, at the command of king Zedekiah, took thirty (30) men to help with the task and to overcome any oppression from those who had placed Jeremiah into the empty cistern. If we divide the number of the king’s men thirty – (30) – by the Divine number three – (3) – we get the number ten – (10) – which is the number of redemption – proof that Almighty God was in control of the rescue operation!
Almighty God wants men who can do personal work in service for the Lord like Deacon Philip! The Gentile physician, Luke, in Acts 8:29 (NLT), tells us: “The Holy Spirit said to Philip, ’Go over and walk along beside the carriage.’” This passage of Holy Scripture was talking about the carriage of an Ethiopian eunuch, the Treasurer of Ethiopia under Candace – the Queen of Ethiopia! The eunuch was sitting in his carriage, while returning home to Ethiopia, reading aloud from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 53, verses 7-8!
In Acts 8:32-35 (NLT), we read: “The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: ’He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth. (vs. 33) He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of His descendants? For His life was taken from the earth. (vs. 34) The eunuch asked Philip, ’Was Isaiah talking about himself or someone else?’ (vs. 35) So Philip began with this same Scripture and then used many others to tell him the Good News about Jesus.”
The Gentile physician, Luke, in Acts 8:36 (NLT), records the harvest of Philip’s witnessing: “As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ’Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?’” In the very next verse, reading from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, we find these words: “And Philip said, ’If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” And he answered and said, ’I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’” In the next verse, going back to the New Living Translation (NLT), we read: “He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.”
The late great Swedish Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjold (1905 – 1961), once said, “You have not done enough, you have never done enough, so long as it is still possible that you have something to contribute.” The late great English novelist, Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812 – 1870), once said, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
In Acts 17:17,22-23 (NLT), we read:
“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. (vs. 22) So Paul, standing before the Council, addressed them as follows: ’Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, for (vs. 23) as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it – ’To an Unknown God.’ You have been worshipping Him without knowing who He is, and now I wish to tell you about Him.”
In Acts 24:24-25 (NLT), we read: “A few days later Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus. (vs. 25) As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified. ’Go away for now,’ he replied. ’When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.’”
In Acts 26:27-29 (NLT), we read: “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do —! (vs. 28) Agrippa interrupted him, ’Do you think you can make me a Christian so quickly?’ (vs. 29) Paul replied, ’Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both of you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.”
Almighty God wants men who will deliver a message from Him like the prophet Amos! In Amos 4:12 (NLT), we read: “Therefore, I will bring upon you all these further disasters I have announced. Prepare to meet your God as He comes in judgment, you people of Israel!” In Amos 7:15-16 (NLT), we read: “But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ’Go and prophesy to My people in Israel. Stop preaching against My people.’” In Amos 7:17 (NLT), we read: “But this is what the Lord says: ’Because you have refused to listen, your wife will become a prostitute in this city, and your sons and daughters will be killed. Your land will be divided up, and you yourself will die in a foreign land. And the people of Israel will certainly become captives in exile, far from their homeland.” Amos was a messenger of Almighty God – He brought a message of warning and impending judgment!
Almighty God wants men who can preach like Peter! In Acts 2:21 (NLT), we read: “And anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In Acts 2:22-23 (NLT), we read: “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus of Nazareth by doing womderful miracles, wonders and signs through Him, as you well know. (vs. 23) But you followed God’s prearranged plan. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed Him to the cross and murdered Him.”
In Acts 2:37,41 (NLT), we read: “Peter’s words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, ’Brothers, what should we do?’ (vs. 41) Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church – about three thousand in all.” I’d say that was some pretty “high-octane” preaching, wouldn’t you? I sure would like to see a replay of that sermon!
In Acts 4:12 (NLT), we read: “There is Salvation in no one else! There’s no other name in all of Heaven for people to call on to save them.” Jesus, the Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, our Lord and Saviour, is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life!”
Finally, as I begin to close this morning, Almighty God wants men who can rebuke sin like John the Baptist! In Matthew 3:2 (NLT), we read: “Turn from your sins and turn to God because the Kingdom of
Heaven is near.” In Matthew 3:7-8 (NLT), we read: But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them! ’You brood of snakes!’ he exclaimed. ’Who warned you to flee God’s coming judgment?’”
In Matthew 3:10-12 (NLT), we read: “Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever your roots. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. (vs. 11) I baptize with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am – so much greater that I am not worthy to be His slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (vs. 12) He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork. Then He will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in His barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
John the Baptist preached repentance – He preached Salvation by a “new life” – and, he preached judgment! As I take my seat, this morning, let me leave you with the words of an old negro spiritual:
***”If you can’t preach like Peter,
***If you can’t pray like Paul,
***Just tell the love of Jesus,
***And say He died for all.
***There is a balm in Gilead,
***To make the wounded whole;
***There is a balm in Gilead,
***To heal the sin-sick soul.”
Tell me, “Are you able to fill out your application for a place in Almighty God’s Kingdom? Do you have the qualifications to be a “Man of God? Does your resume give you access to that position? If not, you are in the right place at the right time! Almighty God is present in this place and He is waiting for you to come and take His right hand of fellowship! Won’t you take that needful step and come into His presence – won’t you let Him legally adopt you into the “Royal Family of God?” You’ll be glad you did!
Wanted – Men of God!
May Almighty God richly and abundantly bless each and every one of you!
Sources:
1. “Leaves of Gold,” edited by Clyde Francis Lytle, c1948: A.C. & D.G. Remley, p. 153.
2. “Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary,” Eleventh Edition, c2004: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, ISBN 0-87779-807-9, pp. 73,755,1484 and 1476.
3. “Peter’s Quotations,” Ideas For Our Time, by Laurence J. Peter, c1977 New York: By author, LCCN 77-3672, ISBN 0-688-03217-6, p. 440.
4. “Special Days and Occasions,” by Billy Apostolon, c1959,1987: Baker Books, ISBN 0-8010-0007-6, p. 27.
5. “The King James Study Bible,” Reference Edition, edited by C.I. Scofield, published by Barbour Publishing, Uhlricksville, Ohio, ISBN 1-55748-745-6, pp. 718 and 1159-1160.
6. “The Open Bible,” New Living Translation, c1998 Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., pp. 476,972,977,999,1143,1146,1243-1244,1432-1433,1435,1443-1444,1460,1462,1473-1474,1476 and 1661.
By Rev. George R. Dillahunty